My 11 year old son plays travel ball and they are already doing cage work. We use a facility near my house and the boys are all showing off their new bats and prowess. Last night, I received this message, forwarded from the facility through the coach.
Quote:
ALL HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL BATS MUST BE
BBCOR CERTIFIED NOW!!
New Rules/Logo
There is a high school bat performance rule change going into effect January 1, 2012. The NFHSA (National Federation of State High School Associations) has adopted a new high school bat standard, requiring that aluminum and composite baseball bats meet BBCOR certification standards and display a BBCOR-certified logo. The new regulation aims to maintain wood bat-like performance in non-wood bats. All bats previously used for high school play will no longer be legal when this rule takes effect.
What Does This Mean?
You must purchase a new bat for the upcoming season that is BBCOR certified. These new bats are "dead" compared to your old composite or aluminum bat. It will take over 500 swings from live hitting to restore that "trampoline" effect you see from your old bat and there still will be "dead" spots. In order to restore your competitive edge you need to have the bat Rolled, so you can swing something "HOT" again!
How Will Rolling My Bat Help Me?
Rolling your bat ensures that it is HOT and the bat is hitting at its maximum potential. Rolling uniformly breaks in your bat and removes any dead spots to give you a larger and more consistent sweet spot. On average a bat rolled out of the package sees a maximum distance improvement of 20-40 feet and at least a 5 mph increase in ball exit speed! Make sure you're swinging the HOTTEST bat around by getting it rolled! New or used BBCOR bats can be rolled.
Is Rolling My Bat Legal?
Rolling your bat is perfectly legal and it does not void your warranty! It even makes it last longer by softening the fibers inside to create a trampoline effect that makes it HOT and protects the bat from cracking! Rolling does not add or take away from anything from the bat and only breaks it in meaning it is completely legal.
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Now, I know that it isn't shaving or loading a bat but this is the first time I've seen this done around here. Maybe in other areas of the country it is more popular. It seems to fly in the face of deadening the bats for safety and I wonder if any associations have banned this practice. Have you done this to your bat(s)? Seen it make a difference? Removed bats because they have been altered?
My kid is a pitcher and I hate the idea of a hot bat being employed while he is just 50 feet away. But I recognize that with each rule change coaches will try to find a way around them. Personally, this sounds like a bad idea waiting for something awful to happen all in the name of the long ball. Thoughts?